BEIRUT (Dispatches) — Hamas named Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the Oct. 7 operation against the occupying regime of Israel, as its new leader after his predecessor was assassinated in an Israeli strike in Iran.
The selection of Sinwar, who worked for years to build up Hamas’ military strength, was a defiant signal that the group is prepared to keep fighting after 10 months of destruction from Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza and after the assassination of Sinwar’s predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh.
Hamas said in a statement it named Sinwar as the new head of its political bureau to replace Haniyeh, who was martyred in an attacks.  
His selection signals that the leadership on the ground in Gaza — particularly the armed wing known as the Qassam Brigades — has taken over from the leadership in exile, which has traditionally maintained the position of the overall leadership to navigate relations with foreign allies and diplomacy.
Haniyeh, who had lived in self-imposed exile in Qatar since 2019, had played a direct role in negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza.
Speaking to Al-Jazeera television after the announcement, Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan said Sinwar would continue the ceasefire negotiations.
“The problem in negotiations is not the change in Hamas,” he said, blaming Israel and its ally the United States for the failure to seal a deal.
But he said Sinwar’s selection was a sign the group’s will had not been broken. Hamas “remains steadfast in the battlefield and in politics,” he said. “The person leading today is the one who led the fighting for more than 305 days and is still steadfast in the field.”
Iran and Hezbollah issued statements praising Sinwar’s appointment.
Hamas’ representative in Iran, Khaled Kaddoumi, called Sinwar a “consensus choice” popular among all factions and involved in the group’s decision-making throughout, including in negotiations. He said Sinwar knows the political aspirations of the Palestinians for a state and the return of refugees but he is also a “fierce fighter on the battlefield.”
Mediators have been struggling to push through an outline for a deal, but talks have hit obstacles, particularly over its centerpiece terms — a release of Israeli captives in return for an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Zionist troops from Gaza.
Hamas has demanded guarantees from mediators that an initial